Character Design and Making Books With Hanin

Interview with Hanin Eisa


Photo (c) Hanin Eisa. 2025


Dear Hanin, it's been two years that you have graduated with Art and Science - time flies. How are you and what are you working on right now?

I just finished wrapping up a Dungeons & Dragons Supplement called Kaya’s Guide to The Fabric of History! It contains new subclasses related to history and community and I did the character design and illustration of all the different subclasses that are featured. At the time of this interview, it is sold in a bundle that will go towards charity for legal aid in the US. It is sold under our group 5th Dimensional Tavern on itch.io.


As a non-computergames-playing-person I have no idea what you are talking about [smiles], except the words "character design" and "illustration" sound familiar. But for an illustrator, this game scene opens up enormous possibilities for creation. What kind of material or computer programs do you use? Can you describe the process a bit?

For character illustrations I usually draw digitally on my computer with a screen tablet. It’s bit like drawing on paper but it functions as a second screen. For character design, I look at the other writers information and build up on them. The step-by-step process is something that you see in all of media creation from movies to comics to video games.

The first step after converting the writing into a concrete brief, is to gather some references with some back-and-forth with the writers. Then I draw a couple of sketches and they pick the ones they like the most. I refine them into a cleaner version and add a base-layer of colours. I continue to work on it until it’s finished, with a few checkins with the writers. The final illustration will be used in the game after a few weeks. 

 

Can you please tell us a bit about the structure, what, for example, is a supplement? How does it work adding fan based stories to an existing computer game?

Sometimes, the developers of a work allow people to create content based on the work, so long as they follow some rules. Some are a bit stricter than other but generally, they ask for a line saying that they are not affiliated with the developers/publishers of the games, and to not use their official logos. Wizards of the Coast developed a Tabletop Roleplaying Game called Dungeons & Dragons. The DnD system is free to tryout, they publish stories and extra content at a cost for players to explore the system. Those are called Supplementary Works or Supplements. In the case of Kaya's Guide, my friends and I homebrewed some content ourselves to complement the system for players to try out. Players who try out our content not only understand that it is a fan-made work, and it is also free advertisement for Wizards of the Coast

 

Illustrations by Hanin Eisa coming into life. 2025

 
How did you actually start this particular project?

“Kaya’s Guide to The Fabric of History” was a collaborative project between friends. I have played together with them for years and they wanted to create Dungeons & Dragons content and I wanted to have my illustrations in a finished project. I won’t lie, this is definitely more business than creating art as this supplement can be added to our portfolios.
 
What amazes me a lot is not only your drawing skills, but also that you are creating and designing characters. You bring your lines and circles into life. Maybe you would like to reveal a bit to the readers of your working process, for example your entry for the Clown Con 2025 where you are also represented?

To enter Clown Con, I needed to sell at least 3 clown-themed works. I drew some ideas and it came down to 2 stickers, and a print. For the print, I wanted to make a more comedic image, so I went for a hamster looking at themselves in the mirror to reveal a clown hamster. I drew a small thumbnail and some designs of the clown hamster, before then making a final drawing, which would then become the painting used to make the print. This is the same process that I would use for my digital illustrations as well!

 
Development of the clown characters. Photos (c) Gerda Fischbach. 2025


"I have not been drawing traditionally for a long time, but picked it up again lately. Especially with acrylic markers. They are very handy to take anywhere. And, I want to use my existing sketchbooks more often."
Luckily, so many different analogue drawing materials exist nowadays and they become more every day; despite digital times. What are these new acrylic markers?

Acrylic markers use a water-based acrylic ink. Most markers that you find in a store have either a water-based ink or an alcohol-based ink. Water-based markers like the Tombow Pens that I use to sketch in my sketchbook, can be used like watercolour. Alcohol markers like the Copic Ciao are better for blending and layering. Acrylic Markers have a water-based ink inside that acts like acrylic paint when it is used. It has the same waterproof and water-resistant properties that you expect from acrylic paint, and you can use it on many different kinds of surfaces such as paper, wood, metal, and plastic. Basically, it lets you draw like you have acrylic paints! If you make a mistake, you can use a white marker to cover it up. The gold and silver in some of the pages were from acrylic markers.  
 
How about other projects? Do you usually find them or do they find you?

That depends on the project! I can definitely tell you that some of the projects I did were made, or rather, fully realised through circumstances. My Monster Guide Zines which was made for the Fanzineist Fair, had expanded to other Art Markets. My Hamster DnD art was originally made because a friend of mine invited me to try out vending. I’ve always wanted to make sketch-artbooks but never fully committed to the idea because I wasn’t sure if the investment would be worth it. 
 
One example of a project finding me is my compilation of dog pictures, which I took during my time in Kathmandu, Nepal. I photographed those stray dogs with my phone, very much in a candid setting while I was visiting locations or eating food. In a way, my experience in collaging, scrapbooking and creating the Monster Guide Zines really worked together to make this photobook.
 
Drawing with acrylic markers. (c) Hanin Eisa. 2025

 
Collection of dog pictures taken in Kathmandu, Nepal, 2025. (c) Hanin Eisa


Character ideas from Hanin Eisa's Sketchbook. Photo (c) Gerda Fischbach. 2025

I really envy you for your skills in drawing. It's wonderful how you capture the bodies' postures, movings and views. Also, if you show the same character in different states, one can recognize that it is the same character. I guess you drew before you were able to walk? [smiles]
 

Yes, I was drawing for a very long time, ever since I was little. I learned how to draw characters by just copying the characters and creatures I saw in TV or in a game.

I also drew my own comics and stories, some fan comics, some original stories, so I already learned how to draw a character from different angles. I never really got into the specific details of why something looked good like from an art fundamentals perspective, I sorta just picked up what looked good and what didn't. I think I only started to really pay attention during my bachelor's, when I was designing characters as part of a module.
 

 

Where do you get inspired?
 

Everywhere! But mostly in media like games, films, music, books and sketchbook vlogs; also during playing games with others. Dungeons & Dragons (and by extension Pathfinder) is a collaborative activity where we, the players “and” not "only" the storytellers contribute ideas.

Travelling to new places and experiencing new things is not only good for the brain but also helps contextualise media. When I travelled to Nepal for a wedding, my time there contextualised a game that I played which had Nepal as one of the influences of the setting. Of course, I could have just looked at some pictures at home, but really seeing the country and its people and nature in person puts it all into perspective.
 

Character ideas from Hanin Eisa's Sketchbook. Photos (c) Gerda Fischbach. 2025


Can you tell us more about the podcast project? It is aired on Radio Orange 94,0 and we can listen to you speaking German.
 

The podcast is called Voice of Mendy, we talk about the war in the Sudan but also culture, history, politics, wildlife, etc, mainly from a European lens. The main goal of the podcast is to highlight Sudanese Diaspora voices and also to get people interested in Sudan as a country. It's on Radio Orange, the Free Radio.
 


Photo (c) Ronnie Danaher. 2025

 

It is always nice seeing you when you come by to the Uni or attend class exhibitions. I assume, you are in good contact with former fellow students?
 

Yes, I am in contact with former AS Students! I visit their exhibitions when I can and otherwise visit them as friends. As for current AS Students, I mainly visit through department parties and exhibitions.
 

Thanks a lot Hanin, for the insights into your current live and work practices. 


If you are interested in trying out DnD with a supplement, check out Kaya's Guide on our itch.io page! https://5th-dimensional-tavern.itch.io/kayas-guide-to-the-fabric-of-history


 

HANIN EISA
Portfolio - hanineisa.carrd.co
Instagram - www.instagram.com/eisahanin
Hanin @Art&Science


Interview: Gerda Tschoerdy Fischbach, August 2026.